The town was quite beautiful. Elmar had led Theo through down the heart of the town. Many were curious about Theo as he looked different than the rest of them. The kids were especially curious and swarmed the two. Elmar chuckled lightly as Theo was surrounded. Eventually, he was able to pull Theo out of the growing crowd and away from prying eyes. Elmar led Theo down a walkway that was thankfully quiet.

"So you and your brother are on the run?" Elmar glanced over at Theo whose attention was pulled to the hundred of flowers and vines that hung from the sides of the buildings. "They're lovely aren't they?"

Theo snapped out of his daze. "Sorry, I just haven't seen anything like this."

"They're called hanging gardens. These here are decorative of course but across town are gardens that produce fruits and vegetables." Elmar held a large flower in his hand and looked up. "Truly amazing what they've created here."

"I wish we had gardens like this."

Elmar continued walking turning to look down as Theo spoke. "You don't?"

"The king would not allow it. All farming was to take place outside the walls of the city." How beautiful the city would become if they allows hanging gardens though.

"So this is why you run?" Elmar tilted his head slightly. The wrinkles became more prominent as he squinted his eyes against the sunlight.

Theo shooked his head. "No, uh me and my bother left because of the king ordering for boys sixteen and older to fight in the war."

Elmar nodded in understanding and placed a hand on Theo's shoulder. "I wasn't one for fighting either."

"It's not that we don't want to fight." Theo stopped walking and turned toward Elmar. "We'll fight if it comes to that, but King Erebus is a wicked ruler and I won't stand with him."

Elmar stared carefully at Theo. His dark brown eyes studied the boy. It wasn't in judgment or hatred, but curiosity. "Mighty words from such a young man."

"Uh thank you?"

"It was a compliment." Elmar smiled and began making his way down the street again. "However, I believe you are more interested in elvish history than your own war."

Theo felt his cheeks burn. Not sure why he would be embarrassed though. "I wouldn't say I'm interested in knowing your history. It's just that... we were told that elves never existed. You all were made up for the entertainment of kids."

"You would be right."

"What?" Theo's eyes widened in both surprise and confusion.

The walkway gave way to a small patio that was shaded by quite a large tree. A table sat in the center of the patio with empty chairs scattered about. Elmar grabbed a chair and moved it to the table to sit beckoning Theo to do the same.

"I have been alive for centuries. Many kings have come and gone within the four kingdoms. Erebus came to reign five centuries ago." Elmar was one of the oldest living elves. Born in a time of chaos.

None of this made sense to Theo. The only beings that could live for any period were elves. Even with the small amount of knowledge he had on such subjects, he knew there couldn't be another being.

Elmar continued, "While the others had no issue living in harmony with us, Erebus had quite an issue, and not just with elves. If you weren't human, you were seen as dirt and an abomination. So a declaration against all nonhumans went out." A sadness fell over Elmar like a weighted blanket. His eyes could tell the story all themselves. "We were all hunted down and slaughtered. Many ran for the borders of the other kingdoms and welcomed with open arms."

"So what did you do?"

"I along with twenty others stayed to fight. We were no match of course but we did what could to protect our families." Theo could see the once young fighter as Elmar sat a little taller in his seat. "Most were killed in our village and a handful were able to get away. Most went west to join the groups there. Ten of us settled..."

"Here at the border." Theo finished. Elmar nodded. "Gabriel said you mostly stay in your home and don't travel outside the town."

He chuckled, "That would be correct. I have had enough adventure in my life and would rather be seen as a hermit. Most of the original survivors are and we're left alone for the most part."

Theo smiled. Gabriel definitely had curious friends. "Wait. You said that Erebus was crowned five centuries ago."

"Yes," he said kindly.

"Erebus is human." Theo expressed.

"Quite the contrary. Erebus is a God."

~~~*~~~

Noah and Gabriel sat in the courtyard area watching the crowds around them. A kind woman offered them some lunch and Noah wasn't about to pass. However, he was getting worried about Theo.

"Don't you think we should go looking for Theo? It's been like an hour." Noah leaned forward over the table.

Gabriel was leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed taking in the warmth of the day. "I trust Elmar."

"Uhuh." Noah raised a brow and folded his arms. "And what happens when this place is invaded by a group of northern soldiers? You think Elmar is going to keep us safe?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"I don't think you grasp the power of these shield charms," Gabriel smirked as he sat back up. Noah was definitely skeptical of the choices Gabriel made. Then again Gabriel noticed that Noah was quite skeptical of everything.

"Clearly," he answered sarcastically. "I find it hard to believe that any of this is real. I mean if magic existed then wouldn't we see it in Líadain?"

Gabriel was quiet mulling over what Noah had said. Magic should exist in the royal city, but it doesn't. At least not for the people of Líadain. Gabriel is less about the king than he was willing to admit and far less about why magic is sipping from the cracks in the streets. Erebus has always been power-hungry and searching for ways to build that power. So why was magic not being used?

Fingers snapped loudly in front of Gabriel's face. He snapped his attention to Noah. "You zoned out there. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gabriel tried shaking the feeling of dread that engulfed him. Maybe he was just overthinking things. It was true that Erebus was keeping almost everything outside his city walls a secret from the people. Isolating them making it easier to manipulate and control his subjects. Gabriel cleared his throat. "The magic here is some of the most potent. No one gets in without permission."

"Then how did we get in?"

"Because you were with me. I was granted access and knew the way in. If anyone not welcomed in were to try and find this place, the wards placed would redirect them. It would confuse them and point them in other directions." Gabriel explained calmly. Two children playing a few feet behind Noah caught Gabriel's eye. Their laughter and carefree attitudes bring a breath of fresh air. "Only a being with strong enough magic could break through the number of precautions set in place. Magic that Erebus doesn't possess."

Noah dropped the subject. The answer was fine but he still had so many questions. Magic existed and Noah clearly owed Theo a huge apology for being a complete asshole to him whenever it was brought up. He sat back feeling defeated and stared blankly forward through Gabriel.

"Listen, I know this is a lot to take in," Gabriel answered with a sigh. "I'm sure there's someone here who would help answer questions or…"

"Or?"

"Or we wait until Asra."

"Why don't you just tell me." His voice was laced with annoyance. Noah sat there like a kid pouting because their parent scolded them. It was quite humorous for Gabriel.

Gabriel smiled and nodded. "I know a fair amount of the world but magic isn't something Im strong in." In that moment a faded memory of muffled voices and extremely bright lights came to the surface. Gabriel was taken by surprise jumping a bit in his chair. He blinked away his blurred vision slowly returning to reality. Noah sat in silence watching a rather worrisome scene unfold in front of him.

He stood hurrying over to Gabriel's side. Gabriel was trying to quickly compose himself before anyone else noticed. His heart pounded against his ribcage as if he had been sprinting. Gabriel rested his elbows on his legs as he bent over trying to control his breathing. This hadn't happened in years. He thought that he had these episodes under control.

"Gabriel, are you okay?" Gabriel glanced under his arm and saw Noah squatting beside him. The fear and confusion were clearly etched on his face as he locked eyes with Gabriel.

Gabriel shrugged away Noah's hand as it rested on his shoulder and stood a little too quickly. Several heads turned towards the commotion of a scraping chair. He gave a rather harsh glare towards Noah and began walking off. Noah went after him fully confused at the complete demeanor change.

He reached for Gabriel's shoulder which was pulled away jarringly. Noah took a step back. "What the hell man? What was that back there?"

"Nothing," Gabriel mumbled under his breath. Noah raised his brows wanting a more suitable answer. He took a breath. "It's nothing for you to worry about." Gabriel's anger subsided.

"Are you sure?" Noah blocked Gabriel's way. "Because that back there didn't look like nothing."

Gabriel grabbed him by the shoulders looking him dead in the eyes. "It's being handled, now move." He pushed Noah slightly out of the way and continued through the courtyard. He wanted to get as far from a crowd as possible.

He walked down a small alley leaving Noah alone. The episode left Noah feeling helpless and a bit fearful. Whatever had happened was something Gabriel clearly didn't have a grasp on. Noah let out a frustrated pent-up breath and looked around for something to distract him.

A storefront caught Noah's eye. Dried herbs hung down in the window and curious bottles of liquids shined radiant colors in the sun rays that hit them. The large oak sign was impossible to read as the intricate golden writing was all in elvish. However, from the windowfront and the lingering smell that flowed out into the courtyard, Noah presumed this was, in fact, a medicine shop. Curious, he headed over. Maybe just maybe there was the answer in here to helping Gabriel.

~~~*~~~

Theo thanked Elmar for everything and raced to find his brother and Gabriel. This was the news of a lifetime and he wasn't about to keep it to himself. He took off down the walkway hoping he wouldn't find himself lost. The wall gardens blurred on each side of him as he sprinted creating a hallway of vibrant colors. He emerged in the courtyard out of breath. Theo glanced over the crowds but didn't see anyone remotely familiar.

Where could they have gone?

He thought searching in the shops was the next best option. Maybe Noah finally wanted to do something other than sneer at the thought of anything outside of the realm of normal. Theo stood for a moment catching his breath before he began his search. Across from him, a boy stepped outside of a shop bag in hand. He squinted against the sun's harsh light as he began to walk across the yard. Theo watched him carefully realizing that it was indeed his brother.

"Noah!" Theo waved a hand in the air. Noah turned sharply caught off guard by the sound of his name. That's when he saw his brother running full force at him.

Noah held out his hands before he was tackled only for Theo to stop short. "I think you couldn't run faster. You didn't quite knock me over," he answered with sarcasm dripping off each word.

"Don't care." Theo rushed out as he continued trying to catch his breath. "Where's Gabriel? There's something I need to tell both of you." He looked around for Gabriel hoping he was still there.

"I don't know. He ran off before you got here."

Theo's smile faltered for a second. "Why?"

Don't tell him the full truth. A little white lie won't hurt.

"He said he wasn't feeling well after eating. Probably went to find us a room and crash." Noah chose the third option and completely lied. He knew this would bite him in the ass eventually but he was never good at coming up with lies on the spot.

He watched Theo hoping it worked. Theo paused for a second then looked at the bag. "Is that why you have all that."

Noah raised an eyebrow and looked down. Relief washed over him. "Ye… yes. I thought they might have something that could work." Maybe this wouldn't bite him in the ass.

"Then let's go and find him." Theo frowned slightly looking towards the edges of the courtyard. "Uh… which way did he go?"

"This one." Noah pointed down the small alleyway. Theo nodded and followed after him.

They each kept a lookout for a sign of an inn or Gabriel while Theo shared what he had learned. Apart from Gods being real. Noah laughed as Theo carried on. It was always fun listening to Theo tell stories. He had inherited their mom's talent of bringing anything to life. Even the most boring subjects.

The alley came to an end and the small courtyard Theo had been in earlier stood in front of him. Elmar was still there sitting and enjoying the sunshine only now another figure sat with him.

"Gabriel," Theo called out.

The figure turned revealing a terrified and tired-looking Gabriel.